How we cut out the middle men

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Mahnaz Hashmi explains how letting an apartment through Airbnb led her and husband Dr Barry Lambert, a consultant paediatric anaesthetist, to set up a private healthcare business that emphasises the personal relationship between practitioner and patient.

Stars of the show: (left to right) Dr Mahnaz Hashmi, Mr William Van Niekerk and Dr Barry Lambert

Building up private practice in healthcare can be a frustrating experience.

You do the work, but it can take ages to get paid. There are so many steps: usually the hospital bills the patient; you may have to bill the insurer, the hospital or the patient; your payment gets delayed and you cycle through endless variations on the theme.